If you’ve ever watched a musical where a big group of people spontaneously burst into song and wished you could be part of it, Prairie Soundscape has just the event for you.
Last fall’s Pub Choir at Winkler Arts and Culture was a hit, and organizers at Prairie Soundscape are hoping for the same at the upcoming event, taking place on Friday, Feb. 20 at the gallery
The choir is hosting its latest Pub Choir night at Winkler Arts and Culture (547 Park St.) on Friday, Feb. 20, and everyone—of any age or experience level—is welcome to join in on the fun.
“Our goal with Pub Choir is just to have a casual evening where people can sing together,” explains organizer Hannah Franz. “You don’t have to have previous musical experience, you don’t need to be able to read music, and you don’t need to have been part of a choir before.
“You show up, we’ve got bar service—whether that’s for alcoholic beverages or non-alcoholic soda, whatever you like—we have tables set up and you can sit with your friends, we have a band come in, and one of our choir directors will teach a couple of different parts for each song.”
They keep things pretty simple, Franz says.
“Here’s the higher harmony, here’s a lower harmony, male, female, whatever part—pick your favourite. We go through it a couple of times and then we put it all together.
“At the end, you’ve got a piece of music that we have taught without a single piece of sheet music, something that everyone can sing together.”
Past Pub Choir events in Winkler and Morden have proven to be a big hit, reaching an even wider range of singers then Prairie Soundscape’s spring choir program usually does.
“We’ve had people come who are in the choir and we’ve had people come who’ve never been in a choir before,” Franz says. “We don’t want any kind of barrier—if you want to sing, please come and sing with us.”
Tickets are $10 in advance online at prairiesoundscape.ca or at the door for $15. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the singing begins at 7:30 p.m.
The evening coincides with the start of registration for Prairie Soundscape’s adult choir, middle years choir, and small ensemble, which are slated to begin eight weeks of rehearsals in April.
“We meet once a week on Wednesday evenings,” Franz explains, noting they practice in the Northlands Parkway Collegiate choir room. “And we do one big concert at the end.”
All are welcome, she stresses.
“Our goal is to be as accessible as possible,” Franz says. “We ask for a donation [to register] and we do have a specified amount that we suggest, but if you’re not able to pay that it’s not a requirement. We always have people coming in saying, ‘Can I sponsor someone else, or can I donate extra so that if someone can’t afford it?’ So we’re never going to stop someone from singing because they can’t afford it.”
More details are available at the website listed above.
